Homeless people from across the city trekked to Brooklyn Thursday hoping to snag a spot in a luxury condo building that has been turned into a shelter.
Single mom Jasmine Lopez, 21, took an hour subway ride from East Harlem with her 6-month-old daughter after hearing that the Crown Heights building boasts granite countertops and marble bathrooms. "It would be a dream for me to move in here," said Lopez, who, like other hopefuls, was turned away from the unusual new shelter on East New York Ave. and directed to a main intake office.
Vivian, 42, who wouldn't give her last name, said the building's large bathrooms, separate bedrooms, hardwood floors and walk-in closets are a far cry from conditions at the East New York, Brooklyn, shelter where she has lived for more than a year. "I live in a single room with bunk beds with my boyfriend," Vivian said.
The Daily News reported Thursday the 67-unit building was slated to be a condo development where apartments would fetch up to $350,000.
soundtechie said: when did they start running coed shelters? I thought they always segregated the sexes in shelters.There are enough shelters for families, women with kids, and single men. NYC is first in the nation to provide luxury shack-up facilities for the down and out.
The city pays the owner $90 per apartment per day, or about $2700 per month, which is more than what private parties are willing to pay on the private market due to the economy. So the owners turn to the city and collect a windfall, the homeless get to live in paradise (for a while, the city wants them out eventually), and the people of NYC who can't afford to rent there are screwed because they have to pay for it all.
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